The Pro does it again though we didn't know the strawberries were "macerated"

If you are going to participate in student cake month it helps if you have done it before. You know what to expect and can gauge the competition (or lack thereof this year.) What also helps is if you have had experience in the food and restaurant industry prior to deciding to become a scientist. That is the case with today's contestant. Our boy worked the restaurant scene before he decided he was better suited for research.  The two are not that far apart. Both involve using recipes and protocols to achieve a successful result. In the case of a food career you may end up with a successful restaurant, product endorsements and perhaps cookbook deals.  In the realm of science you get your PhD, a few publications perhaps with a decent impact factor and maybe a patent or two.  Which one sounds more glamorous?  If you choose science good for you!

Having experienced the previous week, I have every right to look comfident!

Nicely done angel food cake!

Add to that some "macerated" strawberries!

Our buddy today sort of dwarfed any competition with his creation that was heavily influenced by how freaking hot it has been around here.  He wanted something cooler and summery.  He came up with angel food cake topped with fresh sliced sweetened strawberries and served with homemade mascarpone gelato. As a finish he added a touch of aged balsamic vinegar. This may sound weird but did you know that balsamics get sweeter and more sugary with age?  That being the case it does not come as a surprise to have one embellish his dish.

Let's slice it up and get things going!

Cake, "macerated" strawberries, a dollop of gelato and a touch of aged balsamic!

Everyone got a slice of the cake, with the strawberries and a dollop of the gelato. The titch of balsamic went on most of them but there was an issue with pouring it so the early slices did not get any.  The angel food cake was spot on and very good being made from scratch. The strawberries made for a perfect topping.  The balsamic added and interesting taste for sure. And the gelato was awesome.  The recipe called for mascarpone, sour cream, yogurt and heavy cream.  If you have dairy issues this was definitely not for you.  The texture was perfect and there was none of the grittiness cause by ice particles that frequently mars homemade ice creams.  No added flavoring was added which is interesting given that it was quite flavorful. This was probably due to the mascarpone.  It was very rich and creamy and exactly like the gelatos that you get in Italy.  We know because we have had a lot of them!

Gelato as good as in Italia!

This cake hour entry gets kudos for preparation, execution and overall creativity and our foodie turned science geek gets his usual five star rating.

A classy summer treat!

News flash:  The recipe for the angel food strawberry mascarpone gelato concoction ostensibly came from the father of the chef.  As it turns out that Emeril guy has something similar  Check it out: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/mascarpone-gelato-with-balsamic-macerated-strawberries-recipe/index.html.  Doesn't macerated sound really special? You think that something really difficult must be happening. But in the case of strawberries it involves slicing, sprinkling with sugar and letting them stew in their own juice.  Macerated is so-o-o-o-o much chicer to say, however.